A jaw-dropping wildlife clip making the rounds on Reddit shows one of nature's strangest predators doing exactly what it evolved to do: tricking a bird into coming close enough for a lightning-fast strike.
In just a few seconds, the footage captures a spider-tailed horned viper turning camouflage into a deadly trap.
The Reddit video highlights the rare venomous snake, whose tail tip resembles a spider. That unusual adaptation helps it lure insect-eating birds that think they have found an easy meal.
(Click here if the embedded video does not appear.)
In the clip, the snake remains nearly invisible against the rocky ground, its tail wiggling like prey. An unsuspecting bird edges closer, seemingly fixated on the movement. Then, in a split second, the viper bursts from cover and grabs it — living up to the post's blunt title: "The Spider-tailed Horned Viper Snags A Bird."
The post racked up thousands of upvotes and a flood of comments. For many, it was their first time seeing a species that seems almost too bizarre to be real.
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The snake was identified as a new species only two decades ago and has so far been found only in the Zagros Mountains of Western Iran. That said, many venomous wildlife species have evolved coy camouflage, and an unaware human could just as easily meet the bird's fate.
This becomes even more likely as urban development brings humans and wildlife closer together — habitat destruction and diminishing or disappearing food sources can stress animals and make them desperate.
All types of venomous snakes have been turning up in unlikely places, and experts expect this to happen more frequently.
This snake's camouflage left commenters on the video with plenty to say.
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"I 100% would have been fooled by the 'spider, ' no matter what species I was born into," one said.
"Evolution is marvelous," another added.
"One of the best built-in 'lures' I've seen an animal use," another commenter stated. "It really does look like a spider and the snake is practically invisible with that camouflage."
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